In the Epilogue, Ginzburg states that she is in her fifties when she is writing her book. She can't believe, in reflection, that such things could happen to anyone. She was freed years later after Stalin's death, and wrote the book as a letter to her grandson. But she is happy that "true" Communists have again come to power in the Soviet Union.

Despite her experiences with Stalin, Ginzburg is still a Communist dedicated to the Communist ideal, happy that Stalin is gone and Leninist ideas are back in play. The irony is that Ginzburg, despite her experiences in the Soviet system, does not recognize that it is not just Stalin that has corrupted the system, but that Communism itself is inherently evil and naturally corruptible.